Essential Lab Test for Sepsis: Understanding Diagnosis and Treatment

Lab Tests for Sepsis: Why Traditional Methods Fall Short and What’s Next

Sepsis is a fast-moving, life-threatening condition that demands rapid diagnosis and intervention. Yet traditional lab tests for sepsis—such as blood cultures, inflammatory biomarkers, and blood tests—often fail to deliver timely and definitive results. These delays can lead to worse outcomes, including organ dysfunction, prolonged hospital stays, and even septic shock.

The challenge? No single test reliably confirms suspected sepsis in real-time. Instead, clinicians rely on a mosaic of laboratory tests, blood cultures, and clinical evaluation—each offering just part of the picture. These tools can be time-consuming, variable, and imprecise. The result is a burdened care system, where valuable time and resources are lost.

Recently, host-response diagnostics like the IntelliSep® Sepsis Test have emerged as a promising new approach. This article explores the limitations of traditional tests and how innovations like IntelliSep could reshape early sepsis detection.

Why Traditional Sepsis Lab Tests Can’t Keep Up

Sepsis and septic shock result from the body’s dysregulated response to an infection, which may be caused by bacteria, viruses, fungi, or parasites. Since there is no single definitive test, clinicians turn to a combination of diagnostic tests to assess risk.

Common lab tests for sepsis evaluate infection markers and immune response, such as elevated white blood cells, abnormal serum lactate, or inflammatory indicators. But, despite best clinical efforts, even a full panel of these tests can fall short—delivering results too slowly or ambiguously to guide urgent treatment decisions.

Common Sepsis Lab Tests—and Their Limits

When evaluating suspected sepsis, clinicians often order the following:

• Procalcitonin: Elevated levels can suggest a bacterial infection, but this biomarker is not exclusive to sepsis.
• Lactate test for sepsis: Elevated serum lactate or lactic acid may indicate poor oxygen delivery, but they can rise in non-septic conditions like trauma or heart failure.
• Blood cultures: Critical for confirming infection source, yet results can take 24–72 hours—and may return negative despite clear clinical signs.
• White blood cell counts: Frequently used, but nonspecific, as elevated or decreased levels can reflect a range of issues beyond infection.

These blood tests provide valuable information but may not be fast enough to meet the demands of emergency settings. Plus, multiple rounds of testing increase workload and patient discomfort.

The Hidden Costs of Traditional Testing

Without a rapid, reliable diagnostic test for sepsis, hospitals and labs face:

• No definitive “gold standard” to rule sepsis in or out quickly.
• High resource consumption from repeated blood draws, cultures, and urine tests.
• Longer wait times for culture results, delaying treatment decisions.
• Lab overload and higher burnout risk for staff.
• Non-specific results leading to over-treatment or misdiagnosis.
• Overuse of antibiotics and unnecessary blood cultures, contributing to antimicrobial resistance.

These factors highlight the need for streamlined testing that accelerates decision-making and improves outcomes for patients at higher risk of developing sepsis.

An Emerging Approach: The Role of Host-Response Testing in Sepsis Detection

Instead of chasing pathogens, host-response testing looks inward—analyzing how the immune system reacts. The IntelliSep® Sepsis Test, developed by Cytovale, uses advanced biophysics to measure immune cell behavior, specifically the properties of white blood cells under stress.

This FDA-cleared test categorizes patients into three risk bands within 8 minutes:

• Band 1: Low probability of sepsis
• Band 2: Further clinical evaluation
• Band 3: High probability of sepsis

The IntelliSep test addresses key challenges by providing:

• Rapid results, improving time-to-decision.
• Streamlined workflows, reducing repeated tests.
• Complementary insights alongside traditional laboratory tests.
• More efficient use of antibiotics and fewer unnecessary blood cultures.

Clinical Data Supporting IntelliSep

A multicenter observational study published in Academic Emergency Medicine evaluated IntelliSep in over 1,000 emergency department patients. Results showed:

• 97.5% Negative Predictive Value (NPV): Helping to confidently rule out sepsis and reduce unnecessary treatments.
• 0% sepsis mortality rate in Band 1 patients at 30 days: Suggests reliable identification of low-risk individuals.
• 55% Positive Predictive Value (PPV): Comparable to established ED diagnostics such as computed tomography (CT) scan for stroke, or troponin for ST-elevation myocardial infarction (STEMI).
• Antibiotic use was high across all risk levels, suggesting a major opportunity for stewardship—especially when IntelliSep classifies over 50% of patients as low-risk. *Study design was observational and therefore clinical decision making was not impacted.

Hospitals using IntelliSep have reported improved early detection, shorter hospital stays, and more efficient care team deployment—key benefits for settings where critical care medicine is at a premium.

Why the Future of Sepsis Testing Looks Different

Integrating tools like IntelliSep into existing workflows offers more than speed—it provides accuracy, efficiency, and the opportunity to reduce unnecessary interventions. With stronger insights into immune dysregulation, clinicians can better distinguish between sepsis and other mimicking conditions, optimize treatment plans, and focus on patients at higher risk.

By reducing overuse of blood cultures, enhancing resource allocation, and improving clinical confidence, IntelliSep is redefining how we detect and respond to one of healthcare’s most urgent threats.

Explore how IntelliSep can modernize your sepsis detection strategy, support your lab teams, and improve outcomes for patients at risk of developing sepsis.

Contact us at cytovale.com/contact-us